Less than two weeks into January, the Franklin County Health Department has already reported 310 new cases of COVID-19.
FCHD officials announced 40 more cases Tuesday. There are 243 active cases in the county, including 193 in the general population, 27 in schools (K-12 and college students and staff) and 23 in long-term care facilities.
Since the global pandemic began 10 months ago, 2,384 cases of the virus have been recorded in Franklin County, 2,108 patients have recovered and 33 have died while positive for COVID-19.
Franklin County remained firmly in the red zone, the most severe, with an incidence rate of 52.4 Tuesday. The incidence rate is the average daily new cases per 100,000 population over the previous seven days. Counties in the red zone have an incidence rate greater than 25. All but one of the state's 120 counties remain in the red zone.

The health department has administered 1,060 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in four clinics since Dec. 23 and have two more clinics planned this week at which it anticipates administering another 440 doses, according to Brittany Parker, deputy director.
She told The State Journal that she understands the community’s frustration seeing other counties vaccinating beyond Tiers 1A and 1B.
“However, at this time, we are not there yet and not moving beyond Tier 1B,” Parker said, adding that Tiers 1A and 1B include health care workers, clinical staff, people with direct patient care, emergency personnel, some assisted living facilities that do not fall under long-term care facilities, as people age 70 and older.
“We have just began to scrape the tip on an iceberg for those who are 70-plus,” she added. “The interest list of 70-plus has nearly 3,000 residents who have completed the survey in a little over 12 days. We ask for everyone to be patient, be kind and we will get to you and your tier as fast as we can.”
Visit fchd.org and click on the COVID vaccine interest link that fits your tier and as the health department receives additional vaccine doses and can move forward through the tiers, it will contact you through an automated call/text/e-mail with the information provided in the survey.
Parker said the inboxes (both email and voicemail) are full and FCHD is asking the community for patience as it works to get vaccines to everyone in Franklin County who wants one.
“Next week we will begin our first round of folks who will receive their second (and final) dose of the vaccine,” she added.
Frankfort Regional Medical Center has vaccinated more than 500 frontline workers, spokesman Brad Wands told The State Journal on Tuesday.
Walgreen’s is currently vaccinating those in long-term care facilities and will begin administering doses to the public in the spring. CVS said the COVID vaccine is not currently available at store locations yet.
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"Franklin County remained firmly in the red zone, the most severe, with an incidence rate of 52.4 Tuesday. The incidence rate is the average daily new cases per 100,000 population over the previous seven days. Counties in the red zone have an incidence rate greater than 25."
Is anybody really surprised? Franklin County voted for Donald Trump and trust me, it is the same bunch of idiots who are keeping this virus going. Same goes for Kentucky! It is that same bunch of idiots who are trying to impeach our Governor for trying to keep the rest of us safe in this sea of knuckleheads, who have a death wish. If getting the virus were based on demerits alone, I wouldn't care, but that is not the way viruses work. They don't care if you believe in them or not. They don't care who you voted for. The don't care if you are in the Legislature, feeling a full of yourself and your new found "powers", Senator Southworth! Viruses play by an incredibly simple set of rules, and you can't fool mother nature. She will bite your head off, Adrienne. Your God will forsake you if you challenge him. He's done it plenty of time before, as the story goes.
With these knuckle dragging knuckleheads around, we will never get out of this mess!
I appreciate the efforts of the Health Department-this is a huge challenge. But to get everyone vaccinated at current rates, it is going to take months. I wonder what effort could be made to accelerate. Do we need more medical personnel, vaccine, and/or equipment to make this happen?
That first comment of mine should read:
I wish more people were getting vaccinated with their first shot, rather than those who have received their first shot getting their second vaccination. That's the way our new president, the Honorable Joe Biden, is directing that vaccines be administered in seven days. I read that the first covid vaccination provides up to approx. 80% protection from catching the virus and the second shot gets the recipient up to 95% efficacy. So to my way of thinking, I'd rather have twice as many people protected to the 80% level than fewer protected to the 95% level. And when "they" ask me my opinion, that's what I'll tell them...........
(can't find way to edit one's own posts, so sorry for re-post of almost the same comments)
I wish more people were getting vaccinated with their first shot, rather than those who have received their first shot getting their second vaccination. That's the way our new president, the Honorable Joe Biden, is directing that vaccines be administered in seven days.
I read that the first covid vaccination provides up to approx. 80% protection from catching the virus and the second shot gets the recipient up to 80% efficacy. So to my way of thinking, I'd rather have twice as many people protected to the 80% level than fewer protected to the 95% level. And when "they" ask me my opinion, that's what I'll tell them...........
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